Molded block building construction



Sept. 11, 1934. J. MASIELLO ET AL.

MOLDED BLOCK BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 8, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet lFla. 1

INV ENTOR5 BY 1! H W 1 28?) ATTORNEY J. MASIELLO ET AL 1,973,088

. MOLDED BLOCK BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Sept. 11, 1934.

' Filed Sept. 8. 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fla- 5' ZZez'r ATTORNEY PatentedSept. 11, 1934 ei-spas A 1,973,088 MOLDED BLOCK BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONJulius Masiello and Vito A. Masiello, Rochester, N. Y.

Application September 8, 1932, Serial No. 632,174

2 Claims.

Our present invention relates to building construction and moreparticularly to masonry, and it has for its general object to provide animproved building unit in the form of a cement, clay, 5 tile, cinderconcrete or similar form of block molded to standard dimensionsaccording to known practices and useful in the construction of interioror exterior walls. The invention also extends to a method of laying theblocks and constructing such walls therefrom. The improvements aredirected toward features tending to eliminate to a large extent the needfor skilled masons in the work, while at the sametime reducing the timeand hence the labor costs of relatively unskilled masons throughfacilities offered in the matters of both accurately placing the blocksand applying the mortar or binder which cementsor locks them in place.

To these and other ends, the invention resides go in certainimprovements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter morefully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims atthe end of this specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a fragment of a wall in process ofconstruction, such view being that of the upper course thereof which haslast been laid, the view being. partly in horizontal section on the lineA-A of Fig. 2 and the wall and the units thereof being constructed inaccordance with and illustrating one embodiment of our invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of such a fragment of wall with a portion thereofbroken away and shown in vertical section through an intersection of oneof the mortar lines;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line B-B of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the blocks or building unitstaken from below, and

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of a corner fragment of a wall underconstruction with the blocks of the upper course shown in varioussections.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate thesame parts.

Referring first to the block or unit itself, a form of which forconstructing the body of the wall is shown in Fig. 4 and indicatedgenerally by the reference numeral 1, this, as aforesaid, can

be cast, pressed or molded of the various materials suitable for masonryconstruction. It is preferably hollow, being provided with cores or airspaces 2 in the center separated by a strengthening bridge piece 3 inthe manner of two vertical fiues. A central depression or channel 4extends endwise about its perimeter including the bridge piece 3, asclearly appears, so that when enclosed on all four sides there will beair spaces at the top, bottom and both ends, all in-free cornmunicationwith the inner spaces 2, as will be later referred to and furtherexplained.

On its opposite horizontal faces and preferably on both sides of thecored center areformed parallel, complementary tongues 5 and grooves 6,the tongues being preferably on the bottom and being sufficientlysmaller in cross section than the grooves to permit the flow of aplastic binder therebetween when one such block'is. laid upon another,as clearly shownin Fig. 3. The 'end faces of the block preferably onboth sides of the depression or channel 4 are provided with deep grooves11 intersecting the tongues 'and'grooves first mentioned so that "whatremains of "the plainiface is resolvedinto a series of ribs, as appearsfrom Fig. 4.

r In the further practice of our invention, the usual level-foundationor 'sill, indicated at 7, is prepared and the first and followingcourses of blocks 1 are laid thereon dry and in the usual manner so thatthey lie directly one upon an- 30 other and with the end faces ofadjoining blocks of each course similarly abutting one another so that,if the blocks are molded square and true, they will present a smoothunbroken wall surface. The blocks used for the first course, as shown inFig. 3, preferably have the ribs 5 omitted and grooves 5 substitutedtherefor for obvious reasons. The other tongues and grooves facilitatesliding the blocks easily into place along the course. In the assembly,the channels or depressions 4 of adjacent blocks form continuoushorizontal air flues 8 through the wall connected both by the corespaces 2 of individual blocks and similar but smaller interveningvertical air spaces or fiues 9, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 1,respectively, insulating the wall for resistance to temperature changes.At the same time, the vertical grooves 6 on the abutting end facesjointly form verticallaterally closed passages 10 of substantialcapacity, from which the air passages 9 are sealed.

These passages 10 are continuous with or, rather, communicate laterallywith the beforedescribed mortar spaces left between the smaller tongues5 in the larger grooves 6. When two or perhaps several courses have thusbeen dry laid the mortar binder or grouting is introduced in asemi-liquid or fluid plastic state into the open ends of the passages10, through which it flows striking the course below and spreadinglateral- .110

2 ly through the channels or grooves 6 and thence downwardly into otherpassages 10 until all these spaces are completely filled. If of a lesserfiuidic nature, it may be forcefully applied or introduced underpressure, the intent being that continuous concealed lines of mortarshall be established surrounding all of the blocks throughout the entirewall.

A wall constructed in accordance with our invention through the use ofour improved block has further advantages and improvements over priorpractice other than considerations of time and convenience, hereinbeforereferred to. It will not settle, shrink or crack,as"-happens with priorconstructions and methods @employing wide mortar joints, as the blockslie directly upon'each other and if a lower course settles inselfadjustment due to the weight of following courses, it is immaterialas the mortar is not present at the time in the joints and in its laterapplication disposes itself according to the condition :that it finds at.a time when stability has :finally :been reached. Illhere being 1:10exposed mortar :to attractlmoisture from the exterior andabsorb it,

- the -.ob'jec'tion .of crumbling and falling vmortarotheriirregularformations;specialiblocksaarepro vided using theprinciples of construction herein set forth, such as the corner block13, shown in Fig. 5.

We claim as our invention:

1. A molded building block or the like having an open core and a centraldepression extending endwise about its perimeter in communication withithezcore to form connected airsfiues horizontailly andverticallythroughawall composed of abutting blocks laid in courses, saidblock being further provided with uninterrupted con- ;ztinuousinter-communicating grooves on intersecting faces paralleling thedepression to form relatively angular open passages between adja-.cent;blocks of .acourse and receive a plastic binderifrom which thedepression is sealed, the blocks of an upper course being freelyslidable endwise on-those'of the lower course while being laid.

.2. 'Amolded building block or the like having a continuous anduninterrupted complementary tongue and groove on :opposite horizontalfaces respectively, the tongue *beingsuificiently smaller .in cross:section than the groove to permit the flow of a plastic bindertherebetween when :one such block is laid :uponanother and the blocks ofan upper :course being freely'slidable endwise on those .of the lowercourse while being laid, the end faces of the block being :formed withdeep {grooves intersecting the .tongueand groove first mentionedadapting each such :end groove .to form a substantial vertical:laterally closed passage jointly with the correspending groove on anend .iace of an abutting block when two such.hlocks-tarei-soilaidinracourse of a wall, the terminals of ithe endgrooves lbeing ideiepened -,to ,provide enlargements of the said passage:at the points =of intersection aforesaid.

JULIUSIMASIEIJLO.

.A. .MAS-IELLQ.

iio

